Page 30 of The One

Whitney was probably right.

“It’s a moot point now,” she said.

“That’s right, it is. Tell me when your next date is with Rick?”

“I don’t know. I talked to him briefly yesterday. More like texting and not talking. I wanted to know how George was doing and how he’d slept after all the excitement at the park and my visit on Saturday.”

“Such a cute conversation,” Whitney said tongue and cheek.

“Very funny.”

“You do what works. I did that with your brother at first. Asked about Ben to get conversations going. Then things fell into place more.”

“I guess that is what I’m trying to do. I’m sure I’ll hear from him tonight.”

“You haven’t today?” Whitney asked.

“No. I reached out yesterday, but I don’t want to be the one to do that all the time. I did that once and I’m not going down that path again.”

“Don’t compare the two,” Whitney said.

“I’m trying not to, but it’s early yet. There is no reason to talk daily. If I don’t hear from him by tomorrow I’ll reach out to see how he’s doing. I’ll come up with something funny to ask or get it going.”

“Keep me in the loop.”

“I will. Thanks again, Whitney. Just for being there to talk to.”

“Anytime.”

She tossed her phone down and picked up the remote to turn the TV on. Not even ten minutes went by when her phone went off and she picked it up to see a picture of two stuffed peppers on a plate with the word “dinner.”

She texted back.Are those the last two?

Her phone rang in her hand and she answered it to hear him say, “Yes, and I’m sad they are gone. What does that say?”

She laughed. “It says that I’ve got you eating vegetables.”

“I am,” he said. “I had two yesterday for lunch, then dinner at Robin’s. She made a big roast beef and mashed potatoes with some mixed vegetables. I was bad. I ate the beef.”

Thankfully she heard the laughter in his voice. “You know you can eat it. It’s moderation.”

“That’s right. I had more vegetables than normal. There was dessert too. I love dessert, but I only had one piece of pie rather than two and no ice cream. I really wanted ice cream.”

Now she felt bad. “Don’t limit yourself too much, Rick. If you do and your numbers don’t change that much you’re going to feel frustrated. It’s not an exact science. You might need medication anyway.”

“I know,” he said. “I’ve accepted that. Pushing off the ice cream but having the apple pie still felt like a treat. It was a fruit.”

She laughed. “There you go. Now that your peppers are all gone, what are you going to do for meals the rest of the week?”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I was hoping you had some suggestions or recipes for me that I could try.”

She wondered if this fell into the same thing she was talking to Whitney about. Something funny to start a conversation.

“I have a lot of recipes I can send you.” There was silence on the other end. “Or I can show you how to make them again.”

“How about we do it together? I do want to learn.”

“It’s not an excuse to see me again?” she asked.